Oakland, CA – The International Toy Museum (ITM) has announced the appointment of Executive Director, Ben Delaney. Delaney’s mandate is to create a business plan and funding roadmap for the museum, which is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) institution. He most recently served for nearly six years as CEO of ReliaTech, a nonprofit social enterprise based in Oakland, where he created more than 150 jobs.

The mission of the International Toy Museum includes providing exhibitions on all types of toys and toy topics, including the history of toys, antique toys, toys preferred by girls or boys, and toys from around the world. To do so, ITM intends to establish both physical and digital toy museums containing displays, hands-on play centers, and the Make a Toy Lab. There will be conventional displays of antique and rare toys beside interactive “Play Along” exhibits for “touching encouraged” enjoyment of toys. ITM also intends to sponsor of art and toy-making workshops, puppet shows, toy-related fairs, festivals and celebrations for people of all ages.

The Toy Museum does not currently have a physical location. Said Delaney, “Our first objective is to build a strong foundation for the Toy Museum, which means a great collection and sufficient funding. We expect to open our first small facility late next year, and then build up to the great institution we intend to become.”

He went on, “We want the International Toy Museum to have something for the entire family. We will have historical, geographical and ethnographical exhibitions of toys. But for those who want to play, we’ll also have Play Along exhibits and our Make a Toy Lab, where children of all ages will be able to build toys using traditional materials and some of the latest 3D printing techniques. We’ll also offer facilities for researchers to evaluate toys by talking to children at play.

The International Toy Museum does not yet have a home, and is in the process of locating collectors, collaborators, toy buffs, manufacturers and other people who love toys to help it start operations next year.